While there are many things that make New York its own special kind of wonderful, the most overlooked, in my opinion, is New York's unwritten rules of the sidewalk. While the Big Apple may be, well, big, the island of Manhattan is not. It is very important that you know how to follow the rules of the road for the sake and sanity of the thousands of other people you pass each time you step foot out the door. While it may seem intimidating, I promise you, if you can walk here, you can walk anywhere.

1. Know how much space you take up.

I'm not trying to make you feel bad about hanging on to that "Freshman 15" but it is very important to be self-aware (see, not self-conscious!) about how much space you take up. If you are a tiny individual, you may be more inept at snaking past annoying tour guides and juking past construction workers. However, if you are particularly big in any direction, it is wise to know that you may have a tendency to block the sidewalk. Step aside, please. Also, please be aware if your bag is making you an extra 6" wider. Your extra-large tote bag is my enemy.

2. You don't have to walk fast, but you do have to walk smart.

Not everyone plows along like they're in the races and if that happens to be you, that's okay. No one's mad at you for walking slow. However, do not walk in the middle of the sidewalk. Do not walk close to the street side of the sidewalk (aka, the passing lane). Your best bet is to walk closest to the wall side of buildings.

3. Stop saying sorry.

Listen, unless you physically knock someone to the ground, do not stop. Keep chugging along if you bump into someone. I know you may feel like a terrible, awful person for not saying "excuse me," but trust me, you're not. You're not going to Hell. God will understand. Keep moving.

4. Do not make eye contact.

First of all, it's creepy AF. It's also a prime way to entice psychos to come up and talk to you or give the creepy, old man an invitation to wolf whistle at you. Do not make eye contact. Also, no one really cares about being polite or making niceties on the way to work. This ain't the South sugar. We will fully admit we don't give a sh*t about how you are.

5. Get off your phone.

Unless you have the texting abilities of Blair Waldorf, leave your iPhone in your purse. This isn't your suburban, hometown mall where people will move around you. They will knock you over and cause your cell phone to fall into skid into the nearest sewage gate. And how will you ever be able to text Jenny about the hot guy you saw on 36th and 5th if your phone is MIA?! The horror! So seriously, don't be that betch.

6. Do not randomly stop.

K, we know that New York itself is totally eye-catching and stuff but do not cause everyone behind you to have to side-step around you. If you have to stop in the middle of moving from point A to point B, do so on a street corner or step off to the side. Unless you will literally die if you do not stop right then and there, carry on.

7. We know you're popular, but don't walk with your friends.

Yes it would be nice if you could walk and hand holds with your entire #GIRLSQUAD but this is New York and you have to learn how to fly solo. If you are walking with a group, break it up. No more than two friends side-by-side, please. Sucks if you're walking in a group of three but unless you want to be stared down with death glares, take my advice.

8. Be alert.

This is not your college campus where the worst thing you can walk into is an eager pack of high school seniors and some backwards-walking, chipper tour guides. You can walk into construction, an open cellar door, a cyclist, a homeless man or several other not so nice staples in the NYC landscape. You are responsible for yourself. Remember that and take it to heart. No one will feel bad for you if you get hit by a road-raging cabbie. (OK... I might feel a little bad.)

9. Jaywalking is chill.

Time is money and ain't nobody can afford to actually wait for traffic lights to turn green every time. If you're able to go, go.

10. Don't forget about the basics.

Be smart about cross streets. The shortest path isn't always necessarily the fastest path, ja feel? I know this may be a wild concept, but think back to elementary school when you learned about directions and maps and that sort of sh*t. Know how to read a map. I remember when I first moved to New York my dad kept telling me streets run East to West and avenues run North to South and I'd be like haha, okay great Dad, thanks for the fun fact. Geoff was right. This is actually crucial. If you can learn this, you can get anywhere in the city.

11. Remember to soak it all in.

Sure, you need to learn how to move as fast as possible without disrupting others, but the most important rule of learning how to walk in New York is learning how to appreciate it. There's no place on Earth that's like New York City and you will never see the same thing twice, don't take it for granted. Every time you step foot out the door, you have a city that has everything you could ever ask for, literally, at your feet.

Now go forth and go conquer.